Retrosistence
by CataclysmicReality
Summary: Prequel to False Pretense. At 19 Sakura's peaceful life is over. With more than just her life to lose, Sakura must choose between the future laid before her or the future of her own making, as well as the sacrifices that line the way. Full Summary inside


Summary – At 19 years of age, Sakura's relatively peaceful young life has come to a close. A mysterious threat deep from Clow's past seeks to claim the power of her cards for its own. Now, with more than just her life to lose, Sakura must choose between the future laid before her, or the future of her own making... as well as the sacrifices that line the way.

In this battle of time, will Sakura's perseverance give her the killer edge she lacks... or a handicap from which she may never recover?

Meaning of the title – I tried many things and nothing seemed to fit standard language, and as a general theme I liked "Return to Subsistence" which means 'go back to life', or other variations, so I took parts of the words "**Ret**_u_**r**_n_ _t_**o** _Sub_**sistence**" to form what it is now. Also, when corrected by the spell checker, it yields the word "Persistence" which also plays a key role to this story.

Chapter 1: **Day and Night**

Tokyo - Morning

As the first rays of light breached the peak of the horizon, all was quiet over the city. Over all the houses and streets, everything was the epitome of peace. It was a dawn of tranquility. And as the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, they bathed the sleeping face of another peaceful figure.

She lay on her bed as though she hadn't a care in the world. Her overly-large soft pillow easily dominated the upper portion of her bed; so much that an outsider may not immediately recognized the head of the young woman that lay upon it. Despite that momentary difficulty, should their eyes look beyond it they would see the gentle face held by the sleeping girl. With well-kept hair that with the exception of two long trailing locks stayed above her shoulders she was a spitting image of her younger self... though possibly without the extra ribbons and bows.

Much like in the days of her youth, her love of the color of her namesake carried through the years and even now took residence in the color of her sheets and coverlet, if not at a softer shade. Unlike her in her youth, she who use to sprawl out over the bed now held a more dignified and calm sleeping manner, peaceful and without dreams to disrupt her slumber. For these many years forgotten to fear had built the perfect foundation to a contented lifestyle.

Content and happy, and completely oblivious to the additional rays of light as they filtered into the room and bathed both her and aspects of the room in a soft incandescence. Of the room—now that one could see it—it could be seen that it was not the same as the room of her youth. Different from that of her father's house, not only in size—as it was much larger—but also with an attached bathroom and closets. To the one side, was a line of dressers with a place for cosmetics and perfumes and the like. While the other side of her room was almost sparse in comparison, with only a small desk for studies and a lonely bookshelf beside it.

Upon closer inspection, the bookshelf was only lonely due to lack of books, but wasn't really that empty at all. In their place, were countless pictures—framed and otherwise—littering the shelves. Alongside those pictures were collections of awards and ribbons received over her many years of cheerleading and related physical achievements.

On the desk were a few opened books pertaining to physical education and the study of new routines and cheer formations. From the notebook beside it, it was clear that her concentration concerning studies was about the same, as many a line ended in a stray mark or trailing of the writing utensil. While upon the corner of the chair itself were a pair of worn but thankfully more adult inline skates, a habit firmly held onto ever since the days of her youth.

All in all... things were peaceful here.

-Click-

Silence. Or was it? Though nearly inaudible, a faint unlocking sound had emanated from somewhere near the door... and he knew it.

Despite the look of a small golden plush toy which sat innocently next to the other stuffed animals across Sakura's headboard, the disguised guardian beast Kerberos of the seal knew that sound, and what would surely follow it. He knew well from his many years as Sakura's faithful friend and partner that this was a sound of intrusion into this peaceful domain... an intrusion which he had been waiting for.

His eyes swept the room and stopped upon the door. Sure enough, it was slightly ajar and trembling. Clearly the doing of whoever lay on the other side.

Suddenly, the door swung open in a quick motion, but softly enough that there was no sound as it came to a halt at a one hundred and fifteen degree arc. Kero felt a bead of sweat building. Surely... surely there was only one with such skill and presence.

His eyes swept down to his beloved master-friend. Should he alert her? Or should he let her sleep? She was sleeping so soundly that he didn't wish to wake her... but under the circumstances...

No—he'd give her a few more minutes. For now he'd just watch. Watch for the inevitable—there!

A slim hand with nimble fingers slid into the room, lightly gripping the edge of the door frame and steadying its owner, just before the whole of a digital camcorder slid into the room followed by the young woman who wielded it.

_Geh..._ Thought Kero as he struggled to remain unmoving. _That Tomoyo..._

It seemed this morning would be much like the others come before it. But it could be different. It could have some entirely different significance to it. But most likely not. Anyways, it was only a matter of time before he knew completel—ah, here it was.

Without further delay, Tomoyo sprung through the doorway seemingly possessing all the vitality of youth and trained her camcorder squarely on her peacefully sleeping cousin. Much like that of her youth, her hairstyle hadn't changed in the slightest, but that's about where the similarities ended. At 19, she was already a fully mature adult, with superb figure: she had it. She had the height, the body, and the beauty. From her long legs, to her narrow hips and flat stomach, to her modest—if existent—bust, to her beautifully refined facial features.

Dressed as she was now, in her cutoff jean shorts and her summer tank top, she was everything a sleek black-haired model should be... if she would only be willing to get in front of a camera rather than behind one. Of course, she'd much rather Sakura be the model if only she could take part in the filming on a day to day basis.

But then... as it was, there was nothing to stop her from taking part in such things as she was now. Actually, if anything at all, she preferred it this way—where it was just her and Sakura—on her own terms.

Just as it should be.

"Ah—Sakura-chan." Tomoyo whispered through soft and barely parted lips as she practically kissed the air that carried the name of her beloved cousin. "If only to allow me a moment's time to catch your sleeping face on film, then my dreams would be complete and I could die without regrets... were I to die at all. Which then would be no fun because I would be forced to part with my only true love on this Earth. Sigh." She expressed as she added the actual sigh along with the word she pinned it with.

True to her words, she moved along slowly, panning her camera from the toes of one of Sakura's exposed legs, to her thigh, then over her covered hips, stomach, chest, and finally her fac—Kero? She moved her eyes from the viewfinder and peered around at the small body of the golden plush lion in front of her lens.

"Kero-chan." Tomoyo said warmly. "Good morning."

"To-mo-yo." Kero said purposely breaking her name for effect. "What are you doing so early?"

"Just filming a documentary. I apologize for being blunt about things, but you aren't it." She said sweetly.

Kero's eyebrow cocked up twitchingly. "O-Oh really!? JUST WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THA—mmmphff!!!"

Just as he had started a loud retaliation Tomoyo had put her hand to his mouth in a hastened attempt to silence him, after all, she mustn't miss this chance now, for if she did... she may have to wait until the next morning before another chance found its way to her camera! She couldn't take it... waiting a day was a brutal concept that she couldn't accept.

"—Cake." She said hurriedly and at a decibel just above a whisper. "I'll make you a cake as payment." She loosened her hold and he wrenched her finger from his lips.

"A bribe! You call that a bri—?"

"A cake and cookies!" Tomoyo said quickly after sealing his lips once again. She had to act quickly at this point because she was pretty sure she just saw Sakura's eyelid twitch.

"Add in some donuts too!"

"They won't be made by me—but deal!"

That said, they quickly sealed the deal with a quick hand to paw shake. Eager to capture the perfect picture, Tomoyo's eyes wasted no time anywhere but in the viewfinder while Kero flew aside, only to see the perfect sleeping view—gone—disappeared and replaced with the sleepily blinking eyes of her cousin. Though the soft look was precious to her, it wasn't what she had been after.

"-what are you guys doing?" asked Sakura meekly as she looked innocently at her cousin and Kero together.

"Er—Sakura," started Kero, looking slightly displaced in thought as he hovered in the air with a paw scratching his head, "I was simply—um—securing a snack deal with Tomoyo." He looked to his partner in crime and smiled nervously. "Right?"

Tomoyo sighed and reached behind her, placing the camcorder on the desk behind her. "Actually... that's somehow wrong."

"Eh?"

"Given that your excess noise woke my intended target, the deal is null." Tomoyo said flatly as she flicked back her hair in an annoyed fashion.

"But—!" Kero said as he began to look panicked. "The deal, we—!"

"—had agreed on was that you let me capture her sleeping face. That she was awake, was to indicate that I was too late, which in turn... means that you didn't uphold your side of the bargain." Tomoyo stated simply. "No sleeping face... No snacks!"

"But! But... but..." Kero sank from the air in defeat. Her logic was flawless after all.

"Um..." Sakura interjected still half-asleep. "Don't I have a say at all in this?"

Tomoyo paused and looked at her with thoughtful eyes for a moment, and then stated simply: "Nope. Not a one."

Sakura smiled nervously and started to draw her sheets up, so as to have an escape route under them. "I thought as much..."

"Wait!" Tomoyo declared as her arm shot out and seized the progressing sheets. "Who says I'll let it end just like that?"

"Um... I do?"

"Not good enough."

"I thought as much..." Sakura added with a sigh.

"If you think you're just going to disappear beneath your sheets and run away like that—do you think I'll be satisfied and leave?"

"Um, probably not?" Sakura asked with increasing nervousness.

"Bingo."

With that, Tomoyo flung the sheets back and launched into a pre-empted tickling assault along the sides of Sakura's stomach from above, mostly on the exposed areas that her loose t-shirt-nightwear did little to protect. Though Sakura tried in vain to ward off the attack with her arms, there was no stopping it with her straddled above.

As the sounds of the laughter and giggling ensued, elsewhere in the room Kero lay upon the floor in a pathetic state, completely immune to the scene above. "My snacks..."

While on the desk there was nothing save the book, and the camcorder, motionless save for the subtle blinking of the red recording light.

* * *

Minutes later, Tomoyo and Sakura lay side by side on the bed, arms spread wide and exhausted. Sakura's chest was still heaving from the laughing, and the sweat upon her brow made the loosened hair stick to her forehead. Her sleeping shorts and her loose t-shirt were also riding up on parts of her respective body, which was annoying. All sheets, bedding, and pillows were scattered across the room. 

"Sakura-chan..." Tomoyo started softly. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live." She replied with exhaustion.

"That's good." Tomoyo let out a long breath and attempted to calm herself by breathing slowly. "You look good today, Sakura-chan. Any special occasion?"

"Eh?"

"I mean... you usually wear a nightgown or something, right?"

"Oh, that?" Sakura asked without needing answer. "It is summer out."

"Yeah, and a hot one at that."

"Exactly"

Sakura rolled her head back and looked at the clock. Still early, but there was no way she could even think of sleep again.

"Well then, now that you've gotten me up," Sakura added with a tinge of sting in her voice as she swung her legs off the bed. "I think I'll go wash up now."

"Want me to wash your back?" Tomoyo asked interested as her cousin moved across the room towards the bathroom door.

"No thanks. It won't be that kind of bathing experience."

"Too bad," said Tomoyo sadly, "I would have gone in with you."

"The tub's not that big..."

"We'd manage somehow." Tomoyo said slyly.

"Somehow... I knew you'd say that. Don't wait for me."

Tomoyo watched as Sakura slid through the door and locked it behind her. She really was too cute... that cousin of hers. It made her job of staying beside her all these years worth every moment. And that she wouldn't leave her was the true sign of love.

Love... such a nice sounding word.

With that thought in mind, Tomoyo slid off the bed and collected her camcorder. There were always other chances at other times.

There was still the rest of summer.

* * *

London - 8 hours ago - Natural History Museum 

The night guard walked through the silent corridors of the empty museum with barely a care in the world save for the notion of sleep.

Though he had already worked in this museum for several years, it had all gone without incident and the excitement was rather drained. All in all, a lonely guard in an empty building, simply up one hall, down another. Next, it was straight into the bone yard.

He sighed as he swept his light across the giant skeletons that belonged to a world we would never know, and thought of his own life and the meaningless it would have in this world. For however powerful and impressive the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, they were merely that... impressive. That they lived was all they were good for. Whatever impact they left was none at all and just as disappointing. Just like him... disappointing with nothing to leave behind.

Ah, but that'd change, he was set to change it.

Several more years working here and then he'd be all set to move on to bigger and better things, and then he'd find a way to leave his mark for sure. Just...

...several more years.

He stifled a yawn that had interrupted his momentary thoughts and chuckled a bit. He was way ahead of himself tonight, as his thoughts had already propelled him through one hall to the next. All he had left to patrol was the hall of ancient history and then he was all set! Thankfully, then—.

He stopped short in his step at the sound of breaking glass in the hall just ahead.

Without a moment's pause, he flung himself to the wall adjacent to the entrance and drew his gun. Though slightly atypical of most their accessories in this field, he had lobbied for it mostly due to the American influence that his upbringing had instilled in him. And though he had never used it, felt much safer with it there.

But what now? Even with it drawn to protect himself he didn't feel safe at all! He had never been in such a situation after all... but he had to go!

With that determination, he whipped himself around the opening and swung his gun level with whatever may await.

What was there was nothing he had expected.

Five men... at least you could call them men... but nothing like that of which he had envisioned common thieves to be. Instead, all five were dressed in odd cloaks and adorned with strange weapons. He was sure he saw a sword, stick, blades of some kind, and other things before he gathered enough courage to yell "Freeze!

"D-don't move!"

There was silence. Though these men were caught in the beam of the flashlight and the sights of a gun they practically did not acknowledge the guard at all. Rather, even with the light upon them they looked less like men and more like shadows—like wraiths. He wasn't sure of what to do next.

Should he shoot? He should have radioed in or something—what was he thinking?

"N-now then! Stop or I'll shoot—" there was a soft sound and an impact that followed as something cold and metallic slammed against his stomach and dropped him to the ground, as well as the gun and the light. All breath held within his lungs dispersed in one breath and left him wheezing. As he clutched his gut while on his knees, the man could do nothing but stare at the men before him.

With what did they hit him... he didn't know. He couldn't know. All he could do was watch them as they moved through the diffused moonlight from the windows.

Moonlight... it reflected off the floor in sparkles like sand. From the broken glass perhaps? And what exhibit, he could only wonder because he couldn't see it. Though from where they were standing it looked to be the vertically mounted skeleton from the Carpathians. But why would anyone have interest in that?

It wasn't even complete, so it wasn't even that valuable...

...so why?

The guard slumped back against the base of another display case and clutched his stomach. Though the hit itself wasn't that bad, it really hurt. It felt warm... and wet. Even now he had trouble keeping his eyes open.

Suddenly, though there was no clear explanation for it, the room became brighter—brighter with what looked like a purplish light. A light that spread out from the feet of one of the figures and washed across the floor like water. A man with what looked to be long hair that was tied back, so it trailed down to the center of his back without fanning out. In a way, a man that almost looked princely.

The point of such was uncertain, why it spread across the floor and why the light was unknown... but then he saw it. The decapitated skeleton that he deemed worthless was burning with what could only be described to be a kind of blue energy that radiated from the skeleton itself. An energy brought about by the light perhaps? He didn't know, but a second later it was gone, seemingly having flowed into the long-haired man, leaving the skull-less skeleton looking brittle and weak.

Weak, it really was. The guard felt as though he could relate... that he like the skeleton before him would simply crumble to dust if the moment presented itself. Already he felt that he was slipping away. But perhaps if that was everything... if that was their objective and they simply left—perhaps he could be saved? He hoped... but given the intensity of the lavender light that reached like fire he felt as though his hope remain in vain.

Just like the fire he had compared it to, the light danced about the floor as though in reaction to the reception of the energy before. With almost a living presence it sought out the lone exhibit stand which the five stood around and proceeded to engulf it in its brilliance, obscuring it from the scrutiny of prying eyes until the light receded once again, leaving the brittle remnants of the skeleton hanging upon the air... impervious to gravity's hold and burning all the while. It was only at that point did any of the figures move.

Hooded like the great receiver of the dead—death himself came forward into the fires of light and let his great cloak fall from his shoulders to the floor behind. Like a human without its skin, black-tinted red muscular fibers of what could only possibly be something worn upon the body was a mesh unlike any he had ever seen that covered him from his neck to his feet... leaving nothing of skin exposed to the greater elements save the hairless head and gaunt face with the blacken, sunken eyes that were more akin to the sockets of an empty skull than the eyes of a living being. It was this type of person who came to the skeleton from behind it, and stepping towards the guard, appeared to step through it so that it had disappeared into his body. That with no more substance than that of a ghost it was received into him and—the sickening cracking sound—like bones shearing and separating from within just before the fibers of the suit itself reached inward—as though digging into the skin of his arms, chest, stomach... everywhere, in a fantastically gory process that was far too compelling to the imagination than the thought of turning from it. All one could do was watch... as the bones of earlier came through to the surface via the fibers that had sought them out, grafted themselves to the bones and became one with them—reinforced them so that they were no longer the brittle pieces of before, until the man himself became like that of an inverted human, flesh on the inside and bones running along the limbs and the body mass... almost exactly like that of a skeletal armor.

It was only after this mystical process that the lavender flames left the bones and retreated to the floor below, leaving the bones to blacken like the decrepit flesh of a mummy. Returned to the long haired man who was their master, he stepped towards his restructured partner in crime, and held out his hands palms up expectantly while the other man placed his hands upon them and took a knee.

Like water siphoned via gravity drawn hose, the energy that was once only the skeleton's flowed back with such vigor and ferocity until the man who wielded it burned with the same intensity. Renewed and empowered, he stood and turned his eyes to the very set of eyes that had been upon him during the entire process. Like that of the personage of death he had been mistaken for, the guard only felt this to be more accurate than ever, as the skeletal laced hand reached forward, blue-black energy brimming on the fingertips and putting a chill into his bones prior contact as ice began to accumulate upon them like claws.

"P-please... I-I beg you..." the guard uttered weakly to deaf ears. He could see his condensed breath in the chilled air as the icy claws grasped his shirt collar and pulled him higher into a raised sitting position against the display case. Without so much of an understanding, he could only shiver in silent protest as a crust of black ice spread across his chest and up a portion of his neck and lower face as the ice at his back froze him in place.

Apparently satisfied with the display, the man before him moved back and turned his attention to one of his companions who preceded towards yet another display featuring a collection of ancient jewelry and artifacts from various locations throughout the world. Though somewhat hazy as his vision began to fade, the guard was sure that he saw something like that of a cross extracted from the broken case. Perhaps the obsidian cross? He couldn't be sure.

However, once again the artifact found its way to the long haired figure, and once again the strange lavender fire flowed over the floor as another color of light was extracted from the object. Apparently satisfied with this, he handed it to one of the bigger of the five, who clasped it about its middle, causing it to emit a high-pitched whine as a network of cracks danced across its face and it broke apart.

What a waste... to break it apart, when it had been such a stunning piece. Yet they had and still divided the pieces between them. Four cross ends and the biggest piece with the jewel to the guy who broke it. It just didn't make sense anymore... nothing did. Even now, that whatever energy had come out of it was being put back into it and the light around them had diminished completely, leaving only the same diffused moonlight that he had first beheld them in.

It hurt... from his icy prison that restricted his breathing to the wound across his torso... it hurt.

What was to happen now? Were his thoughts of earlier just wrong? Was his fate not that of his dreams but of his death? Why was he to be like the dinosaurs—forgotten in the end and left naught but emptiness in the form of memories to prove his existence? He smiled. Not even his bones would be around to find. But maybe... maybe if he were found soon enough?

True... it wasn't over yet. There was still hope. Still hope for discovery. That and the ice that bound him was already melting as those were those of the thieves as they faded into the darkness.

Wait—fading?

It was true—though his eyes hurt from looking that the mysterious figures were now departing individually as though fading into the shadows they submersed themselves in. It was... kind of incredible in a way.

No one... would believe thi—ah.

He looked up just in time to see the figure who had frozen him in place raise his fist level to him, the mostly black energy swirling about his hand. And then, the figure pointed his finger.

Like that of the same kind of circumstance he had witnessed before, a spear of ice flew forward and impaled itself into his right chest, breaking the icy hold and granting him use of his arms. Arms that disbelievingly moved upwards until his fingers found themselves wrapped about the foreign object imbedded in his chest.

Chest... not so kind as to place through the left and the heart... but enough for him to die anyway... and to know the process was upon him.

He laughed without sound as he slumped sideways to the floor. So his fate really was this...

To watch those he was to stop disappear... fade into the night... to watch his killer fade along with his allies... utilizing some sort of perverse... magic maybe?

To watch his adversaries fade...

To see his dreams fade...

Fade with the moonlight... as his eyes themselves preceded to lose the light of their own...

...as their light...

...faded away.


End file.
